Tested: 2023 Kia Sportage PHEV Pairs Comfy Cabin and Zippy Performance
The 2023 Kia Sportage represents a striking and unusual new design direction for Kia’s compact SUV, with the crossover looking like it was penned by aliens and telepathically implanted in Kia’s designers’ brains. Besides the polarizing styling, the fifth-generation Sportage also marks a big shift by offering hybrid powertrains for the first time in the crossover’s history. A 226-hp hybrid effectively replaces the previous car’s optional turbo four-cylinder, while an all-new plug-in hybrid sits atop the lineup with a combined 261 horsepower, making it the most powerful Sportage yet. The plug-in-hybrid powertrain puts some extra pep in the Sportage’s step—especially versus the gutless base motor we drove earlier this year—and while the added power doesn’t transform the crossover into an engaging driver’s car, it makes the Sportage a more agreeable commuter and saves gas in the process.
Our X-Line Prestige test car is the pricier of the two available trim levels and carries a $4500 upcharge over the base X-Line. For that extra dough, the Prestige brings additional driver aids in the form of adaptive cruise control, Highway Driving Assist, Remote Smart Parking Assist, and blind-spot monitoring. Outside, the Prestige gets upgraded headlights and taillights, and LED fog lights. The interior is decked out with multicolor ambient lighting, a Harman Kardon sound system, a power-adjustable front passenger seat, memory for the power driver’s seat, ventilated front seats, a heated steering wheel, a heated windshield, and a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster. Our $44,680 test car’s only option was the snazzy Dawning Red paint ($395).
The Sportage PHEV utilizes the same system as the plug-in versions of the Sorento and the Hyundai Tucson. It produces 261 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque courtesy of a turbocharged 1.6-liter inline-four paired with an electric motor. A 13.8-kWh battery feeds that electric motor, and the PHEV is all-wheel drive only. The electric assistance gives the Sportage the gusto that the base car desperately needs, dashing away from a stop and squirting forward when you need to be decisive in busy traffic. We measured a 6.9-second run to 60 mph. That’s 1.5 seconds behind the plug-in Toyota RAV4 Prime, which has a 41-hp advantage, but at 30 mph the Kia is only 0.3 second adrift.
Despite the Sportage PHEV’s fleet-footedness, it doesn’t encourage spirited driving. The steering is not especially communicative, while the brake pedal feel is inconsistent and was squishy during hard emergency stops. That said, the Sportage far outperformed the RAV4 Prime in our panic braking test, coming to a halt from 70 mph in 167 feet versus the Toyota’s 195-foot stop. There is a fair amount of body roll, but the ride is forgiving, and the Sportage handles well enough for daily driving, even if it can become a bit nervous and unsettled over midcorner bumps. The six-speed automatic shifts smoothly, and the powertrain is serene thanks to a hushed engine and a seamless transition between electric and gas power. Noise picks up if you push the 1.6-liter four-cylinder beyond 3000 rpm, but the engine doesn’t sound gruff or unrefined, although wind noise at highway speeds can get intrusive.
The comfortable driving experience is bolstered by a well-appointed cabin, with added rear legroom and cargo space thanks to a 3.4-inch wheelbase increase over the previous generation. Material quality is impressive, but there’s a lot of piano-black plastic, which is likely to attract fingerprints and dust, especially around high-use areas like the gear selector and window switches. The two 12.3-inch screens have clear, crisp displays, and Kia’s infotainment system is responsive and intuitive.
The controls below the center screen are not as easy to use, however, with the knobs and haptic buttons alternating between climate and audio controls. While we appreciate the inclusion of physical knobs, it’s easy to forget which mode you left the controls in last, with attempts to adjust the volume sometimes resulting in an unexpected gust of ice-cold air instead. The Sportage lacks wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, although the systems are available via a wired connection as standard.
Along with extra power, the plug-in-hybrid system boosts the Sportage’s fuel efficiency. We observed 31 MPGe, but we struggled to keep the small battery topped up, which might have helped close the gap to the Kia’s stated 84 MPGe. The battery is good for a claimed 34 miles of electric range, so even half an hour on the highway nearly depletes it. The Sportage PHEV does not support DC fast-charging, but its 7.2-kW on-board charger can fill the battery at a Level 2 charge station in around two hours. Charging overnight at home would be no problem, but the slow charging speeds made it a lot less convenient to rely on public chargers to keep the battery full and the Sportage at its most efficient. Still, the plug-in is likely more frugal on fuel than other variants and gives the option for brief fully electric jaunts around town.
